SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.01 JAWSAT LAUNCH DELAYED AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-016.01 Florida Today is reporting the maiden flight of a new U.S. Air Force booster known as Minotaur - a hybrid combining the first two stages of a decommissioned Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with an Orbital Sciences Pegasus rocket - was aborted last Friday night and again on Saturday morning, just moments prior to launch. The rocket contains the JAWSAT Amateur Radio satellite platform. Officials at the Vandenberg, California launch site halted the first countdown when the auto sequence start command was not received with just two minutes remaining in the countdown. The problem was rectified and the launch team recycled the Minotaur for a second launch attempt just before the close of the three-hour launch window. Again, with just seconds remaining on the countdown clock, a second launch attempt was halted when the Minotaur's onboard batteries dropped below required power levels. The Minotaur's first mission, planned as a test flight to evaluate the former ICBM's capability as a satellite launch vehicle, will carry Air Force and NASA experiments and several small student-built spacecraft such as Amateur Radio's JAWSAT and OPAL. Next launch attempt for the Minotaur is set to occur no earlier than January 22nd. [ANS thanks Florida Today for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.02 JAWSAT DATA - PART 5 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.01 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-016.01 As reported in ANS, the JAWSAT launch (with Amateur Radio's newest satellites) was first postponed last December and then again this past weekend. This delayed launch timeframe has allowed ANS to take a more detailed look at each of the new birds. In the last edition ANS explored ARTEMIS, a science payload built in conjunction with Stanford University that will approximate the occurrence and amplitudes of horizontal and vertical lightning. This edition of ANS will look at the ASUSAT-1 satellite. The ASUSAT satellite is an Arizona State University project built around Amateur Radio packet hardware and a FM voice repeater. ASUSAT-1 will feature a 9600-baud G3RUH type digital communications system. The uplink/downlink architecture follows the standard VHF/UHF band plan. From an operating perspective, any station capable of working the KO-23/KO-25 style satellites should be able to work ASUSAT-1. It is important to note that the satellite will not feature a store-and-forward bulletin board system. Stations that communicate with the satellite following launch should disable all automatic BBS features as the satellite will not respond to those transmissions. As noted, a FM transponder is also included in ASUSAT-1, similar to AO-27. The main difference is the FM transponder will be CTCSS tone operated. After launch, ASUSAT-1 will wake up in a power-safe mode. In this mode, it will send status beacons in both text and binary form using the AX25 protocol. Amateur Radio ground stations having 9600-baud packet radio capabilities should be able to monitor text messages identifying the satellite immediately. In fact, the ASUSAT team would greatly appreciate if the satellite community could help the team by listening for the satellite after launch and recording any received telemetry. ASUSAT-1's downlink frequency will be 436.700 MHz. Additional information on the satellite is available at: http://www.eas.asu.edu/~nasasg/asusat/asusat.html A web cast of the launch of JAWSAT (and ASUSAT-1) is available. To register for the web cast, visit the following URL: http://www.webcastingtv.com/jawsat/ The Vandenberg launch schedule is available at: http://mocc.vafb.af.mil/launchsched.asp [ANS thanks Richard Limebear, G3RWL, for this information] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.03 ANS IN BRIEF HR AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.03 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BID: $ANS-016.03 ANS news in brief this week includes the following: ** Several news agencies are reporting that the Mir space station may receive yet another crew this year for an extended flight paid for by a undisclosed firm. Mir has been empty and partly shut down since August 1999. The current plan is to send a crew to Mir in March for a 45-day mission. If the Mir program were to be ended, a crew would probably fly to the station for a brief mission to shut it down before Mir is guided on a crash course into the Pacific. -AMSAT-BB ** The ARRL reports that the FCC has begun issuing new U.S. Amateur Radio license documents on blue paper instead of the beige stock that hams have become accustomed to for many years. The change apparently has nothing to do with the recently announced FCC license restructuring. -ARRL ** NASA has secured a launch date for shuttle Endeavour, clearing the way for a January 31st flight to map the Earth in unmatched detail. To make the launch date possible, Air Force officials agreed to postpone a temporary shutdown of the military tracking system that monitors all shuttle launches and landings. Once in orbit, the Endeavour crew will extend a 200-foot mast that will use radar to compile a 3-dimensional map of the Earth in great detail. -NASA ** The night of January 20th marks a total eclipse of the Moon visible for all of the Americas (and for Europe on the morning of the 21st). For more information, including special observing projects for telescopes and binoculars, visit the following Sky & Telescope web site: http://www.skypub.com/sights/eclipses/lunar/0001preview.html. -S&T ** The 2000 AMSAT Annual Meeting and Space Symposium will be held in Portland, Maine. An exact date will be officially announced in the near future. Stay tuned to both the AMSAT Journal and ANS for more information. -Russ, K5NRK --ANS BULLETIN END--- /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.04 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 1 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.04 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-016.04 RADIO SPORT RS-12 Uplink 21.210 to 21.250 MHz CW/SSB Uplink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 29.410 to 29.450 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 145.910 to 145.950 MHz CW/SSB Beacon 29.408 MHz Robot Uplink 21.129 MHz Robot Downlink 29.454 MHz Semi-operational, beacon only. RADIO SPORT RS-13 Uplink 21.260 to 21.300 MHz CW/SSB Uplink 145.960 to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 29.460 to 29.500 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 145.960 to 146.000 MHz CW/SSB Beacon 29.458 MHz Robot Uplink 145.840 MHz Robot Downlink 29.504 MHz Operational, in mode-KA with a 10-meter downlink and a 15-meter and 2-meter uplink. AC5DK's RS-12/13 Satellite Operators Page: http://www.qsl.net/ac5dk/rs1213/rs1213.html AC5DK's RS-12/13 Satellite Forum: http://www.hotboards.com/powerforum/pwrforum.exe?who=rs1213 RADIO SPORT RS-15 Uplink 145.858 to 145.898 MHz CW/SSB Downlink 29.354 to 29.394 MHz CW/SSB Beacon 29.352 MHz (intermittent) SSB meeting frequency 29.380 MHz (unofficial) Semi-operational, mode-A, using a 2-meter uplink and a 10-meter downlink. Dave, WB6LLO, has operating information for both RS-15 and RS-13 on his web site. In addition to satellite data, antenna information for mode-A operation is also featured. The WB6LLO web site URL is: http://home.san.rr.com/doguimont/uploads OSCAR 10 AO-10 Uplink 435.030 to 435.180 MHz CW/LSB Downlink 145.975 to 145.825 MHz CW/USB Beacon 145.810 MHz (unmodulated carrier) Semi-operational, mode-B. AO-10 has been locked into a 70-cm uplink and a 2-meter downlink for several years. DX continues to be worked (and heard) on AO-10. W4SM has more information about the satellite at the following URL: http://www.cstone.net/~w4sm/AO-10.html [ANS thanks Stacey Mills, W4SM, for his AO-10 status information and web site] AMRAD AO-27 Uplink 145.850 MHz FM Downlink 436.795 MHz FM Operational, mode J. AO-27 uses a method called Timed Eclipse Power Regulation (TEPR) to regulate the on-board batteries. In simple terms, TEPR times how long the satellite has been in an eclipse (or in the sun) and decides what subsystems to turn on or off. The AO-27 pages on the AMSAT-NA web site include an explanation of AO-27 operations (at): http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/ao27.html Chuck, KM4NZ, reset the TEPR states on AO-27 (on 12/14/99). TEPR 4 is 12 TEPR 5 is 48 [ANS thanks Chuck Wyrick, KM4NZ, and Michael Wyrick, N4USI, for AO-27 information] JAS-1b FO-20 Uplink 145.900 to 146.000 MHz CW/LSB Downlink 435.800 to 435.900 MHz CW/USB Operational. FO-20 is in mode JA continuously. JAS-1b (FO-20) was launched in February 1990 and continues to function quite well. [ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-20 status reports] JAS-2 FO-29 Voice/CW Mode JA Uplink 145.900 to 146.000 MHz CW/LSB Downlink 435.800 to 435.900 MHz CW/USB Operational, rotated with digital mode and digi-talker. JAS-2 was successfully launched on August 17, 1996, by an H-II launch vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center. Digital Mode JD Uplink 145.850 145.870 145.910 MHz FM Downlink 435.910 MHz FM 9600 baud BPSK Digitalker 435.910 MHz Operational, rotated with analog mode and digi-talker. Mike, KF4FDJ, has put together a very informative document on FO-29, addressing analog, digital and digi-talker modes. To obtain a copy e-mail Mike at: kf4fdj@amsat.org Kazu, JJ1WTK, reports the FO-29 operational schedule (announced by the JARL) is as follows: through January 16th JD1200 mailbox January 17-31st JA Mineo, JE9PEL, has updated his FO-29 satellite telemetry analysis program. The software will automatically analyze all digital telemetry from the satellite such as current, voltage and temperature. The JE9PEL FO-29/software update is available at: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/hamradio/je9pel/ [ANS thanks Kazu Sakamoto, JJ1WTK, for the FO-29 status reports] /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.05 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 2 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.05 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-016.05 KITSAT KO-23 Uplink 145.900 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK Downlink 435.175 MHz FM Operational. The satellite has returned to service. KO-23 ground control stations report to ANS the KO-23 main transmitter has returned to full service and the power budget appears to be fine. [ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, and KyungHee Kim, HL0ENJ, for KO-23 status information] KITSAT KO-25 Uplink 145.980 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK Downlink 436.500 MHz FM Operational. Jim, AA7KC, reports KO-25 is operational with good data throughput. [ANS thanks Jim Weisenberger, AA7KC, for KO-25 status information] UOSAT UO-22 Uplink 145.900 or 145.975 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK Downlink 435.120 MHz FM Operational. Chris Jackson, G7UPN, earlier reported to ANS that there were some problems with UO-22, noting "the satellite has entered a period of permanent sunlight and controllers are trying some attitude maneuvers to cool it down." Currently, UO-22 is in service. Chris tells ANS "it's possible that I may close it again depending on how things heat up over the next few days. We are currently inverting the attitude which I hope will cool down most of the spacecraft." More information on the satellite is available at the following URL: http://www.sstl.co.uk/ [ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for UO-22 status information] OSCAR-11 Downlink 145.825 MHz FM, 1200 baud AFSK Mode-S Beacon 2401.500 MHz Operational. The operating schedule is as follows: ASCII status (210 seconds) ASCII bulletin (60 seconds) BINARY SEU (30 seconds) ASCII TLM (90 seconds) ASCII WOD (120 seconds) ASCII bulletin (60 seconds) BINARY ENG (30 seconds) The ASCII bulletin is currently a static message, detailing modes and frequencies of all active amateur radio satellites. More information on OSCAR-11 is available at the following URL: http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/clivew/ [ANS thanks Clive Wallis, G3CWV, for OSCAR-11 status information] LUSAT LO-19 Uplink 145.84 145.86 145.88 145.90 MHz FM using 1200 baud Manchester FSK Downlink 437.125 MHz SSB RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK Currently semi-operational. No BBS service. The digipeater is active. Mineo, JE9PEL, reports receiving LO-19 CW telemetry on January 15th. General information and telemetry samples can be found at: http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu/lo19.htm [ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for LO-19 status information] TMSAT-1 TO-31 Uplink 145.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK Downlink 436.925 MHz 9600 baud FSK Operational. ProcMail V2.00G has been released by G7UPN. This software permits the processing of image files from TO-31. It has been posted to the AMSAT-NA FTP site at the following URL: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/wisp Many of the high-resolution color images transmitted by TMSAT are compressed using a UoSAT compression format. This format is supported by the VK5HI CCD display program. [ANS thanks Chris Jackson, G7UPN/ZL2TPO, for TO-31 status information] SUNSAT SO-35 Operational. SunSat has been in mode-B using an uplink of 436.291 MHz (+/- doppler) and a 145.825 MHz downlink. SunSat was launched February 23, 1999 aboard a Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SunSat stands for Stellenbosch University Satellite and takes it name from the South African university whose students constructed the payload. The SunSat package includes 1200 and 9600 baud digital store-and-forward capability and a voice 'parrot' repeater system that will be used primarily for educational demonstrations. The satellite has two VHF and two UHF transmit-receive systems. The SunSat command team recently upgraded the diary software. The team has also uploaded the parrot repeater software and early tests were satisfactory. The parrot repeater should be functional near the end of January. According to the team packet radio operation is still some 3 months away. For more information on SunSat, visit the following URL: http://sunsat.ee.sun.ac.za [ANS thanks Garth Milne ZR1AFH, for this information] UoSAT-12 UO-36 Downlink 437.025 MHz 437.400 MHz UoSAT-12 was successfully launched on April 21, 1999 from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome. UO-36 carries a number of imaging payloads, digital store-and-forward communications and mode L/S transponders. The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions. S-band high speed downlink commissioning continues at rates between 128kb/s and 1Mb/s. The S-band downlink frequency has not been announced. UO-36 has been transmitting 9600-baud FSK telemetry framed in a VLSI format using a downlink frequency of 437.400 MHz. Chris, G7UPN, reports UO-36 is also (at times) testing on 437.025 MHz at a baud rate of 38,400 (38k4). Currently, this downlink is switched on over Europe. Due to the limited power on UO-36, it is not possible to have this downlink on permanently over all areas. Presently the BBS is still closed. The VK5HI viewer shareware is available on the AMSAT-NA web site at the following URL: ftp://ftp.amsat.org/amsat/software/win32/display/ccddsp97-119.zip Further information on UO-36 is available from: http://www.sstl.co.uk/ [ANS thanks Chris G7UPN/ZL2TPO, and the University of Surrey for this information] ITAMSAT IO-26 Uplink 145.875 145.900 145.925 145.950 MHz FM 1200 baud Downlink 435.822 MHz SSB Semi-operational, digipeater function is 'on'. IO-26 was launched on the September 26, 1993. Alberto, I2KBD, reports IO-26 has been opened to APRS use. [ANS thanks ITAMSAT Project Manager Alberto E. Zagni, I2KBD, for this information] TECHSAT-1B GO-32 Downlink 435.225 MHz using HDLC telemetry Updated status. Shlomo, 4X1AS, tells ANS that efforts are underway to bring GO-32 on line. According to Dr. Fred Ortenberg of the Asher Space Research Institute in Haifa, "the TechSat control team is about to finish its Amateur Radio BBS package tests. The next stage is to add beacon messages about the satellite's housekeeping status." Stay tuned to ANS for further information. The TechSat-1B micro-satellite was successfully launched from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 10, 1998. Last reported, the satellite does not have a continuos beacon, but does transmit a 9600-baud burst every 30 seconds (for a continuous 3 seconds in length), on 435.225 MHz. The TechSat team has constructed a home page about TechSat. To view the site, point your web browser to: http://techsat.internet-zahav.net/ /EX SB SAT @ AMSAT $ANS-016.06 WEEKLY SATELLITE REPORT PART 3 AMSAT NEWS SERVICE BULLETIN 016.06 FROM AMSAT HQ SILVER SPRING, MD, JANUARY 16, 2000 TO ALL RADIO AMATEURS BT BID: $ANS-016.06 THE FOLLOWING ARE IN ORBIT BUT ARE NON-OPERATIONAL AT THIS TIME: PANSAT PO-34 Uplink/downlink frequencies have not been established. The satellite is not currently available for general uplink transmissions. PanSat, developed by the Naval Postgraduate School, was launched from the shuttle Discovery during STS-95. PanSat spread-spectrum digital transponders will be available to amateur radio operators in the near future along with software to utilize this technology. Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, PanSat Project Manager recommends 'The ARRL Spread Spectrum Sourcebook' as a good place to start in understanding the spread-spectrum scheme. For more information, visit the official PanSat web site at: http://www.sp.nps.navy.mil/pansat/ PanSat is the featured cover article in the July/August 1999 issue of the AMSAT-NA Journal (written by KD6DRA and N7HPR). [ANS thanks Dan Sakoda, KD6DRA, for this information] PACSAT AO-16 Uplink 145.90 145.92 145.94 145.86 MHz FM using 1200 baud Manchester FSK Downlink 437.0513 MHz SSB RC-BPSK 1200 baud PSK Mode-S Beacon 2401.1428 MHz Non-operational. Russ Platt, WJ9F, of the AO-16 Command Team tells ANS "it appears that after 1900 plus days of operating -- AO-16 suffered a problem that returned it to safe mode." WJ9F has been able to turn the 70-cm transmitter back on. AO-16 is in MBL (Microsat Boot Loader) mode and ground teams are checking the on-board memory to find the cause of this problem. Stay tuned to ANS for further updates. General information and telemetry WOD files can be found at: http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu A complete collection of WOD graphics corresponding to the year of 1998 can be found at: http://www.ctv.es/USERS/ea1bcu/wod1998.zip [ANS thanks Miguel Menendez, EA1BCU, for AO-16 status information] MIR SPACE STATION Ham radio activity aboard the Mir space station came to a close on August 28, 1999 as the crew returned to Earth, leaving the station unmanned. Mir is in a stable orbit with only essential systems running. All Amateur Radio activities have ceased. Stay tuned to ANS for further developments. Current Amateur Radio equipment aboard Mir includes: MIR SAFEX II 70-cm Repeater Uplink 435.750 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 141.3 Hz Downlink 437.950 MHz FM Not operational. No operation in 1999 has been observed. MIR SAFEX II 70-cm QSO Mode Uplink 435.725 MHz FM w/subaudible tone 151.4 Hz Downlink 437.925 MHz FM Not operational. No operation in 1999 has been observed. MIR PERSONAL MESSAGE SYSTEM (PMS) Uplink/Downlink 145.985 MHz FM 1200 baud AFSK Not operational. DOVE DO-17 Downlink 145.825 MHz FM 1200 baud AFSK 2401.220 MHz Non-operational. DOVE stopped transmitting in March 1998. The 145.825 MHz and 2401.220 MHz downlinks are off the air and the satellite has not responded to ground station control. No additional information is available at this time. WEBERSAT WO-18 Downlink 437.104 MHz SSB 1200 baud PSK AX.25 Non-operational. WO-18 is reported to be in MBL mode after a software crash. No additional information is available at this time. SEDSAT-1 SO-33 Downlink 437.910 MHz FM 9600 baud FSK The satellite is not currently available for uplink transmissions and recovery efforts have been unsuccessful. Mineo, JE9PEL, reports he has again received minimal telemetry from the satellite, the most recent dated December 9th. SedSat-1, signifying Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Satellite number one, was successfully launched and placed in orbit on Saturday, October 24, 1998. For more information on SedSat-1 visit the satellite web site at the following URL: http://www.seds.org/sedsat No additional information is available at this time. /EX